In the recently concluded 8th Congreso Internacional de Expertos en Lengua Española held June 26-28, 2025, Asst. Prof. Abigail T. Pagalilauan, MHist, MTS of the Department of Modern Languages, proposed a training module for bilingual Pinoy assistants.
Her paper, entitled “Mejorando la comunicación a través de la tecnología: formación en lengua española para asistentes virtuales filipinos,” proposed a three-month training module designed specifically for aspiring Filipino bilingual virtual assistants.
This program aimed to integrate Spanish language instruction with practical tasks relevant to remote professional roles, such as paralegal assistance, client coordination, project management, and other virtual support niches.
Moreover, Pagalilauan emphasized the strategic advantage of equipping Filipino virtual assistants with functional Spanish, particularly as global demand increases for multilingual talent in legal, administrative, and customer service sectors, highlighting the intersection of language, technology, and international workforce development in her lecture.
While the Philippines is known for its English-speaking workforce, for Pagalilauan, Spanish remains an underutilized skill, despite being spoken by over 500 million people globally. The module aimed to increase their competitiveness in the global job market by equipping Filipino professionals with functional Spanish and cultural competence.
The proposal was aligned with the growing demand for multilingual talent, especially in the evolving remote work landscape and legal-tech sector.